


Ache

by icemakestars



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Crying, M/M, Mourning, death of a family member
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-05-09
Packaged: 2018-06-07 11:36:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6802075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icemakestars/pseuds/icemakestars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The aftermath of battle hits everyone hard, but nobody loses more than Gray and Natsu.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ache

**Author's Note:**

> This work is inspired by, and dedicated to, @Selenba on Tumblr. 
> 
> Based on this artwork: 
> 
> http://selenba.tumblr.com/post/132277761571/dad-remembering-you-is-easy-i-do-it-every-day

##  _**“Dad,** remembering you is easy, I do it every day, but missing you is the heart ache that never goes away….”_

The charred remains of the Fire Dragon King, Igneel, continued to simmer on the ground. Mirajane watched forlornly as Natsu, his only son, crawled over to the crumpled corpse.  

“Dad…” Natsu’s voice broke and he hiccoughed. The adrenaline of war was draining from his blood like the colour from his skin, and tears of despair finally began to pool in his liquid-peridot eyes.  

After all the years of searching, with a hope as fiery and pure as the person who yielded it, Natsu was finally re-united with his adoptive father. The sense of glee and fulfilment Natsu must have experienced, coupled with the anguish and miss which soon replaced the ardent emotions, must have been utterly crushing for Natsu. Mirajane placed a hand over her stomach as the pain, so unbearably evident on Natsu’s face, made Mirajane want to throw up.  

Natsu lunged forward, fingers grasping desperately at the burning corpse. As soon as his skin brushed Igneel’s, the flames encasing the body reared up, and Natsu pulled back with a frightful cry. He clutched his injured hand to his chest, expression caught somewhere between shock and being impressed that fire could still burn hot enough to hurt him. Just then, Natsu’s features contorted into one of pure woe as he no doubt realised that he would never be able to tell the source of his pride how much he admired him.  

“Dad! DAD!” Natsu screamed, throwing the top half of his body into the cinders.

“Natsu…” Mirajane reached forward, into the empty air. Her expression softened into a regret that she could do nothing to console her childhood friend, but she still wanted to try. Mirajane took one, shaking step towards the weeping boy when suddenly everything around her froze. The grass began to sheen with frost, and small pieces of ash became frozen where they fell, more like snow than the burning residue of war.  

A shoulder, bare-skinned and gelid, brushed against Mirajane’s. The walk lacked its usual arrogance, and the head was cast down like that of a condemned man, but still Mirajane recognised the person.

“Gray?” She whispered in confusion, but he did not turn around, respond, or even _acknowledge_  her tone. Instead, he continued to head steadily towards Natsu, feet dragging and breathing ragged.  

Gray wrapped his arm around Natsu’s middle and pulled him away from Igneel’s flaming corpse. Natsu yelled, flailing his arms and legs and delivering violent blows to Gray’s chest and leg. He did not flinch, merely pulled Natsu against his chest and brought them both to their knees. Gray placed his hands on either side of Natsu’s head, forcing the thrashing boy to be still, and looked him in the eyes.

“Enough.” Just one word, whispered in the broken space between their two bodies and minds, but it was all Natsu needed to fall forward onto Gray’s chest and sob earnestly into the cool skin.  

“I-Igneel!” Natsu moaned in an emotional pain he had no doubt never experienced before. Gray held him as he shook. To an outsider, it would appear as though Gray was holding Natsu together, but Mirajane knew that that was not entirely the case; Natsu was grounding Gray now, and that was the only thing keeping him from falling apart.

With one hand, Natsu clutched onto Gray’s back. With the other he reached towards the sky, eyes glistening as he stared longingly at the palette of colours overhead.  

“He’s gone, Gray.” Natsu shivered, and Gray clung to that warm body desperately. Natsu recommenced crying again, with Gray weeping silent tears onto his flat pink hair.

“I just lost my father as well.” Gray’s voice broke around his revelation. Natsu blinked once to clear the confusion and twice to clear the tears. Gray reached up and linked his fingers with Natsu’s, pulling them down to Earth and severing any hope Natsu may have had of seeing his father again.  

Mirajane gasped as she watched the two boys from afar. Their relationship, usually so violent and mocking, was suddenly so tender and caring. She was aware that Levy, Gajeel and Lisanna had joined her now, but she said nothing, allowing Natsu and Gray to have their own small infinity. They did not ask for any context, because the scene was exactly as it appeared; two lonely young men, holding each other as they mourned the loss of their fathers for the second time in their lives.  


End file.
